No Rest For Smith

Quarterback Alex Smith can’t get any rest. Third quarterback Shaun Hill dislocated and fractured the index finger on his throwing hand in Thursday’s practice, which put Smith back on the field Friday as the scout team quarterback. Smith was hoping to rest his shoulder and forearm fully this week.

Smith will also be the backup to Trent Dilfer Sunday against the visiting Rams.

This could delay Smith’s recovery from his shoulder and forearm maladies. As Smith explained, the forearm is the main obstacle to his return. Smith took the blame for the injury, saying he wanted to get back too fast and should have gone slower with rehabilitation and throwing after his arm was immobilized in a sling for a week.

Maybe Smith did more with his rehabilitation than was advised, but shouldn’t the 49ers monitor that better? While Smith is diligent, he’s also rational and he probably wouldn’t jeopardize his return by trying to get back too fast. His grip on the ball and forearm began to fail after working out the arm and throwing several passes during the bye week.

According to a transcript of Mike Nolan’s press gathering on Friday, the coach was asked if Smith may have damaged the forearm in the weight room. Nolan said, “I’m not going to go there.” Typically when someone says that, that’s exactly the place to go.

Nolan hasn’t settled on his third quarterback. Running back Michael Robinson, who quarterbacked Penn State and wide receiver Arnaz Battle, who played the position at Notre Dame, are the candidates. Robinson might be the better option. He played the position just two years ago and hoped to get drafted as a quarterback, but a poor showing at the Senior Bowl that year prompted the move to running back.

Robinson was also spotted rolling out and firing the ball into a net after Friday’s practice.

Battle, by the way, has noticed a difference in Smith’s passes since his shoulder separation on September 30, and Battle can relate. Battle sustained a bad separation playing quarterback at Notre Dame, in fact, he pulled up his sleeve on Thursday to reveal a glaring bump on his shoulder that resulted from the injury.

“I was out for four weeks,” Battle said. “I wasn’t the same when I came back. You’re not the same mentally. … Any time you have an injury, it’s going to affect your mechanics.”